The administration of a telecommunication system involves providing the system with information that (a) specifies, for each extension, the system port to which the extension is assigned, and (b) describes service features associated with that extension. The former information is conventionally referred to as a "hardware translation," while the latter information is commonly referred to as a "software translation" or a "terminal translation." The terminal translation typically specifies the name of the user to whom the extension is assigned, the class(es) of service and the class(es) of restriction to which the extension is entitled, and the feature information about the user's terminal equipment (e.g., does the terminal equipment communicate voice or data, does it use multifrequency or message signaling, does it have a "send-all-calls" feature button, etc.) Creating an association, or correspondence, between a terminal translation and a system port is referred to as "linking" or "hardware/software merging."
The system administration, done at system initialization, i.e., when the system is first being provided with the translations, is referred to as "provisioning." Linking is typically done as part of provisioning. Subsequent changes made in the hardware translation are referred to as "station moves." Station moves typically involve changes in linking.
Conventionally, provisioning is accomplished as follows: The communication system vendor's personnel determine the customer's needs, and on the basis thereof specify the system hardware and the terminal translations required by the customer. Upon customer approval of the specifications, the terminal translations, and an order for the hardware, are sent to the vendor's or vendor's supplier's factory.
In one scenario, the factory builds the system, links the terminal translations with the system ports, and provisions the system with the linked translations. The customer's building is then wired accordingly. Also, when the system is delivered to the customer's premises, the building wiring is connected to the system in a manner that corresponds to the linked translations.
Alternatively, the factory builds and supplies the system unprovisioned. The building is wired and then connected to the system in any desired manner, thereby defining the linking between system ports and terminal translations. The linking is then specified based on the actual connections, and the system is provisioned with linked translations. The linking and provisioning task is typically done by a qualified system administrator from an administrative console in a serial manner--one extension at a time.
Once the connections to the system are made and the system is provisioned, modifications are made in the connections and to the linked translations to effect changes requested by the customer and to correct errors. Also, the installation personnel run tests to make sure that each terminal is connected to the correct port and that each port is linked with the correct terminal translation, i.e., that the actual wiring matches the provisioned linked translations. Subsequent station moves are accomplished in the same manner.
As the above discussion shows, system administration is a time-and-labor-intensive process. Administrative activities must be performed in proper order, i.e., sequentially, and by skilled personnel. The whole process is susceptible to errors, e.g., miswiring. And implementation of customer changes requested since the order for the system was placed may require significant system reconfiguration, and typically is a further source of errors. Minimization and elimination of errors in turn require the existence and use of provisioning support tools and testing procedures, which are costly in time or money.